Garbage | No Gods No Masters / 28 June 2021 63 Views
For Shirley Manson, the gloves are well and truly off. The political turmoil of recent years has infiltrated Garbage’s often-furious seventh album, with no target off-limits: the capitalist ideal (The Men Who Rule The World), racial inequality (Waiting for God) and sexism (Godheads) all feel Manson’s barely contained ire. Of course, such anger suits Garbage’s most recognisable mode, often on forceful display here: dense, layered noise, all buzzsaw guitars, harsh electronics and industrial clatter. Yet there’s sonic variety: revenge drama A Woman Destroyed is an ominous anti-ballad; the patriarchy-attacking Flipping The Bird has a vintage New Order sheen. It’s not all pessimism, either: the frenzied synth-pop of the excellent title track, inspired by a trip to Chile, imagines a better future for humanity. Shaun Curran